The politics of justice

There's lovely Lady Justice, adorned with her scales and a blindfold. Does she represent anything in the real world other than sculpting abilities? That question is currently being juggled by the clowns under the three ring circus tent known as Washington, DC.

I'll admit to not following the U.S. Attorney firings as closely as some, since from the outset it appeared trumped up. From an occasional read it looks like Attorney General Gonzales pooped in his hat and might have to resign. Bush has already come out with strong support and the AJ is out telling his story to the left wing media in earnest. If it's shown that he deliberately misled Congress, case closed, adios. But it's also entirely possible he's the latest victim of the vendetta machine, just as sinister, in which case he should not resign.

Whatever the case it's all good for the Democrats. In our post-Libby world we're likely to see a run on fifth amendment pleadings as folks are hauled in front of Waxman, but that works just as well since the American public still believes in the Honest Abe form of government (except when their local favs are hauled in). In that vein Watergate produced a generational indoctrination that says only Democrats can decipher the truth.

It's part of the conventional perception that the Dems are the "people's party" while the Repubs are the party of Halliburton and Enron, indirectly responsible for driving the Exxon Valdez into the rocks and starting the War on Terror (directly for some). That's a mighty hard perception to fight with little to no help from the mainstream media or Comedy Central.

But frankly, Bush has not done a very good job at helping to change that perception despite running as a compassionate conservative and helping Congress spend record amounts of taxpayer monies. Bad apples such as Duke Cunningham and Jack Abramoff keep bobbing to the surface. In the case of Repubs, "one bad apple" DOES spoil the whole bunch.

Over at Just One Minute Tom Maguire is still poking the dead horse known as the Libby trial, even though the Dems have apparently milked the cow for all it's worth and have decided to move on. Ms. Plame clearly has some 'splainin to do regards some irregularities in her testimony, but the general public never cared much anyway and DemCo got what they wanted from the show. Without a willing media (who was involved) and a fair and balanced Chairman, nothing will happen.

This perceptive double standard puts the Repubs in a disadvantageous position when it comes to tip-off time. The president was able to hide some of his political machinations behind the war, but as the war fades so does the cloak. That's not an indictment, only an acknowledgment. Hillary has indicated that she'll fire all 93 U.S. Attorneys if elected (apparently no matter what they might be in the middle of investigating). She included this line:

She said that's merely following traditions in which presidents appoint prosecutors of their own party.

Now I ask, how can the Democrats whine and pretend they want a "devotion to the rule of law" then fire every single US Attorney and replace them with one from their own party? See above.

In a perfect world some form of oversight not associated with partisan Congressmen with axes to grind would solve the problem. That same world would also feature flying cars powered by discarded plastic bags and CO2. In the meantime we'll continue living under partisan justice, where high-profile cases like the Tennessee Waltz sting here in Tennessee are seen as selective persecutions while illegal aliens roam freely with a six strikes 'til you're out card.

It's noble to carve Lady Justice with a blindfold and its certainly something we should all hold dear and aspire to, but in reality it may never be possible under a two-party system stocked by clowns with long, clear memories.